Machine-gun and other firearm



H. W. GABBETT-FAIRFAX.

MACHINE GUN AND OTHER FIREARM. APPucATmM FILED MAY I8, 1920.

v1,348,702. Patented Aug- 3, 1920.

6 ///V1 OOO $32. i w L Y 6 Lo oo UNITED STATES HUGH WILLIAM GABBETT-FAIRFAX, or Lennon, ENGLAND.

MACHINE-GUN AND OTHER FIREARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

Application filed May 18, 1920. Serial 1%. 382.341.

T 0 all whom it may camera:

Be it known that I, HUGH WILLIAM GAB- nn'nr-FiunrAx, a subject of the Kin of Great Britain, residing at 49 Upper *l'rloucester i ldf(i, London, England, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Marhine-Guns and other Firearms. of which the following is a specification.

In the construction oi machine guns and other firearms, it is frequently desirable and in many cases necessary that the barrel should be easily detachable from the breech end or body, both for cleaning purposes and to permit of the removal of a hot or worn barrel after rapid or long continued fire.

My invention has for its object the provision of means whereby the barrel may be quickly assembled in the breech sleeve or body and readily detached therefrom. For this purpose I mount the barrel in a breech sleeve or socket, and provide grooves or slots in the barrel and sleeve, each groove in the barrel forming with the corresponding groove or slot in the sleeve a complete mortise or socket into which a pair of wedges is inserted.

By tightening the wedges the barrel is firmly keyed into the sleeve, and after slacking off and withdrawing the wedges the barrel may be immediately removed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the breech socket and barrel of a machine gun constructed according to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the same.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation illustrating a pair of wedges for securing the gun barrel in place.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal. horizontal section throu h a portion of the breech socket and barre taken through the axis of the barrel.

The barrel A is carried in the breech socket B which is attached to the side plates C, C forming part of the gun framing.

The barrel has formed on each side of it external grooves D, D corresponding to internal rooves or slots E, E formed in the socket Wedges G, H are inserted in these rooves and slots in pairs, the outer faces Q J of each igir being parallel and the inner faces K, being tapered. The inner faces may be arallel and the outer faces inclined, but this is not so convenient.

As shown in Fig. 4, the face J of wedge H bears against the forward face of the slot E in the breech socket B, and the face J of wedge G bears against the rearward face of the groove D in the barrel A.

I prefer to provide the standing wedge G of each pair of wedges with a sleeve plate L, and to form the end M of the movingwedge H with screw threads engaging with a nut A slot 0 is formed in the head of wedge G. The wedges are assembled as follows The nut N is held in position in the slot 0 while the screwed end M of wedge H is pushed upward through the sleeve L against a nut N. By turning the nut the wedges can be drawn into position with their inclined faces K, K lightly resting against each other. '7

Each pair of wedges now forms a single unit which may be attached. to the gun by a safety chain P. The head of wedge G may have a projection R formed thereon to facilitate easy removal when the nut has been slacked off.

The barrel is assembled by inserting it in the breech socket and dropping the wedges into their respective slots and grooves. Then by turning the nut N, the latter is brought into contact with the lower face of slot 0, and the wedges are drawn tightly together. thus locking the barrel A in place.

On turning the nut N in the opposite direction said nut comes into ontact with the upper edge of slot 0 and unlocks the wedges. The wedges may then be drawn out of their sockets and the barrel removed.

What I claim is 1. A firearm comprising a framing, a bree h piece carried thereby and formed with a socket, a barrel detachably mounted in the breech socket, said barrel having external grooves or slots, and the breech piece having internal grooves or slots forming seatings for pairs of wedges, wedges inserted in said grooves or slots, and means for tightening and slacking the wedges to secure and release the barrel.

2. A firearm comprising a framing, a breech piece carried thereby and formed with a socket, a barrel detachably mounted in the breech socket. said barrel having external grooves or slots, and the breech piece having internal grooves or slots forming seatings for pairs of wedges, wedges inserted in said grooves or slots, one acting face of each pair of combined wedges bearing against the corresponding face of the slot in the barrel and the other bearing against the vorresponding face of the slot in the breech piece, and means for tightening and slacking the wedges.

3. A firearm comprising a framing, a breech piece carried thereby and formed with a socket, a barre'h (letachably mounted in the breech socket, said barrel having external grooves or slots, and the breech piece having internal grooves or slots forming seatings for. pairs of wedges, wedges inserted in said grooves or slots, one of the Wedges .w] .i1;\i| having a slotted head, and the other having a screw-threaded end and a nut mounted on said screw-threaded end and entering the 15 slot of the other .wedge, so that rotation of the nut causes relative movement of the wedges.

Dated this thirtieth (lay of April, 1920.

HUGH WILLIAM GABBE'lT-FAIRFAX.

Witnesses:

J nuns MGALLIBTER. GEORGE HUBBARD Gmsnm SHEPHERD. 

